


Spirited

by Kestrel337



Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Established Relationship, Gift Fic, M/M, OT3, One-Shot, Originally Posted on Tumblr, Other, Silver Fox Saturday, quick fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-21
Updated: 2014-09-21
Packaged: 2018-02-18 06:30:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,254
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2338562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kestrel337/pseuds/Kestrel337
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Greg's niece sends him some online quizzes to determine his Spirit Animal. The results are interesting.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Spirited

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LonghornLetters](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LonghornLetters/gifts).



> A Silver Fox Saturday birthday gift for Longhornletters. 
> 
> I own nobody and nothing, no profit made or disrespect intended.
> 
> Originally posted on Tumblr.

_Hi Uncle Greg! Sorry you had to cancel your party. Food poisoning stinks. I hope you can give the restaurant a write up or something. I’m doing online quizzes for fun. Here are some links._

_I took these quizzes, and my answers were:_

_1) Wren_

_2) Squirrel_

_3) Prairie Dog_

_I thought they were pretty accurate, even the one about the wren. I don’t like being small and ordinary, but I am, and I can sing too. What ones do you get?_

_Kassee (what do you think of this spelling? Mum says it’s ridiculous but I like it)_

Greg smiled; Ridiculous had been one of the milder things he’d said when Elizabeth started calling herself “Lyzah” during her own 14th year. The first link took him to a quiz that promised to determine his spirit animal if he would just answer a few easy questions. Well, why not? Sherlock was out and John was still sleeping, and this was just the sort of light activity he needed. He clicked to begin, answered for his favorite color, how he felt about interacting with strangers, where he’d rather live (and why was ‘big city’ not a choice?), and what he feared. He wasn’t sure what ‘type of music’ had to do with spirit animals, and the body piercings or tattoos question was just bizarre. The result came back with a picture; a golden-eyed canine with a blue-grey pelt and black ears. _Your spirit animal is a Silver Fox. Foxes are associated with mental and physical awareness, quickly adapting to changing situations, and cunning solutions to tricky situations_.

“Huh.” Saying it was accurate felt a bit like bragging, but they were traits that would prove useful professionally so taking as an aspirational statement was probably justified. The silence was broken by some rustles from in the bedroom, and he went to start the kettle before taking the next test. He did his best to ignore the glaring grammar and spelling errors, answering ‘fast and honsetelly’ as the instructions suggested. Favorite pastime? Fairy tale that you identefy with? Favorite color, again, and for the bizarre question this time he was asked his favorite beverage. Because obviously what he enjoyed drinking had enormous bearing on his personality. This time the answer came with sound effects; a series of low-toned barks followed by a piercing howl preceded the picture that popped up. Another canine, this one with inky guard hairs over a light grey undercoat. _**Wow!! Congratulaations!!! You Are A Silver Fox!!!**_ was the answer, in twinkly letters that he thought were meant to be glitter. Good God, where had Cassandra -Kassee- found this? _**Silver Foxes are beautful and like to eat chicken!**_ Ah, that explained the chicken/beef/tofu question. Foxes probably wouldn’t eat tainted chicken parmigiana. Perhaps their noses were strong enough to smell meat gone off, or their systems were robust enough not to succumb. The kettle clicked, and he could hear John moving around in the bathroom, so he clicked the next link before heading into the kitchen to fill two mugs.

 

The next quiz was much more staid in it’s presentation, although many of the questions were in a similar vein. It was also twice as long as the others, and with more choices, so he was still working on it when John came out and began the toast making ritual. “Work?” he asked.

 

“Nah, just some quizzes from my niece. Wants to know what my spirit animal is.”

 

John snorted and brought over his tea. “Well, what’d you come up with?”

 

“The first two gave me the same answer. I suppose they only have a few things to choose from.” He clicked the ‘submit’ button and leaned back for a kiss while he waited. This time there was no sound effect, no glitter, and no image. Just a text box which read _Melanistic Fox, commonly called a Silver Fox. Some Native American tribes believe the silver fox to be a creator god, wise and benevolent. Others associate him with fire and the sun. In the midwestern tribes, fox is a minor spirit animal who helps humans to solve problems, or who punishes the selfish and arrogant. Melanistic foxes are not a separate species, but a color variant of the common red fox. If Silver Fox is your spirit animal, you are intelligent and passionate. You may turn these traits to the pursuit of knowledge, or justice. Silver foxes have a wide variety of coloration and markings, ranging from deep black to palest grey. Just as his pelt sets Silver Fox apart from his relatives, you are outstanding among your peers._

 

“That’s just bizarre. All three came up with the same answer? Kassee said she got a different answer from each one. Here, you try.” Greg forwarded the e-mail to John and settled in to look at his work e-mail. He knew when John had finished the second set of questions because the laptop began to growl and bark threateningly. Finally John announced his results.

 

“Hedgehog. Border Collie. Golden eagle.” He frowned. “So…two of my spirit animals could eat the third.”

 

“But you didn’t get the same one on all three. Here, let me try again. Tell me how you think I should answer this time ‘round. You know, if you were me.”

 

The results were the same; Greg was a silver fox every time.

 

Sherlock had come in while they were working, had the problem explained, and offered his own experiment. “Use two laptops. I’ll enter my answers on mine, Greg, and you enter the exact same answers on yours.”

 

“Alright. Go on, tell me what your answers are.”

 

Even Sherlock had to admit that something odd was going on when his answers resulted in Jaguar; Peacock; and Otter; and Greg, using the exact same answers, got Silver Fox; Silver Fox; and Silver Fox.

 

“Someone’s hacked my computer.” Greg picked up his computer and began turning it over, holding over his head and squinting at the bottom as if he could determine an entry point. Sherlock took it from him and set it back down to open up the e-mail.

 

“There’s an attachment, did you open that?”

 

“Wait, what? There is?” Greg leaned over his shoulder and saw the little paperclip that he’d failed to notice. “Well, go on then. Open it up.”

 

Sherlock exchanged a look with John, then did as instructed. Immediately the screen was covered with an image of Kassee, John, and Sherlock, each holding up a sign. Together they spelled out “Happy Birthday Greg”. The screen faded slowly from that image to another one, Kassee holding up a book about computer programming and John and Sherlock holding up signs that read “Surprise!” and “Gotcha!”

 

Greg stared, speechless, at this evidence of…something. Subverting a minor? No, more likely that Kassee was the instigator.

 

“But…how…?”

 

“Simple enough to do. Kassee just-”

 

“Yeah, okay, I get it. But shouldn’t my scanner…oh. I bet you installed it as an actual programme. Probably while I was sleeping.”

 

“We all felt bad. A big bash was out of the question, but a little bit of a puzzle, and a good laugh? Seemed like just the thing.” John looked cautiously smug.

 

“Hedgehog? Otter?” Greg was chuckling now, at the sour look on Sherlock’s face. “I bet Kassee had an absolute blast coming up with animals for you two.”

 

“That took longer than writing the program. But coming up with yours was no trouble at all. We all agreed that you’re a silver fox.”


End file.
